Romney pledges regular meetings with Democrats in pitch for bipartisanship

DOSWELL, VA -- Once again throttling back on his most vociferous attacks on President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney continued his effort to paint the president as a partisan without a plan, and pledged to work across the aisle with Democrats if elected president in his second event of a three-stop Virginia campaign day.

"I'm going to meet regularly with Democrat leaders and Republican leaders. I won't do that once a year, when I say regularly I mean much more frequently than that, because we're going to have to work together," Romney pledged. "These are critical times. This is an election of consequence."

Democrats immediately seized on the irony of Romney delivering these remarks while standing next to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., whom Democrats have long accused of using his power in the House to act as one of the "chief architects" of GOP obstruction to President Obama's agenda.

“For the sole purpose of political gain, congressman Cantor and Republicans in Congress, like Romney’s running mate congressman Ryan, have blocked efforts to achieve a balanced deficit reduction deal and to pass legislation to create jobs now," read a statement from Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith. "The American people need someone who will move us forward, not just serve as a rubber stamp for the right wing.”

Romney, who has dialed down his criticisms of President Obama in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and as the campaigns move into the closing argument phase, continued to ding the president for what he said was a lack of an agenda and a campaign based upon attacks alone.

"For a while there he was talking about saving characters on Sesame Street, and then it was word games with my name that he was playing, and then of course he got very anxious and went out there and just attacked me day in and day out," Romney said. "Attacking me does not create an agenda for him."

Romney makes one more appearance in Virginia today: a rally in Virginia Beach that was originally planned for Sunday night, but had to be rescheduled due to the approach of Hurricane Sandy.